As Erica Rovner's wedding day approached, the hotel where guests were being recommended to stay filled up with convention reservations for an event that had been moved to the same weekend.

Fortunately, Rovner and fiance Michael Rabhan had created a Web site about their Greenville, S.C., wedding, including useful information about the area. When the first hotel sold out, they added information about another hotel across the street where they also had a reservation block.

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"I could have set up the site the day after we got engaged for all the questions I got," said Rovner, an account coordinator at Shira Miller Communications in Atlanta, who was married July 17 in her hometown.

Rovner and Rabhan, who's finishing up a master's degree in psychology at Georgia State University, live in Sandy Springs.

Rovner used a free service from TheKnot.com to set up her site, which she said was easy to do, although she hasn't gotten around to using the "newlywed" page to upload wedding photos.

Friends mostly used the site to learn how the couple met, how he proposed and where they were registered, Rovner said. "It was especially great for the bridal party," she said. "They want to know everything."

Christina Vincelli-Gantner also used a Web site to publicize her May 14 wedding to Jevon Gantner. The difference in Vincelli-Gantner's case is that the couple saved an estimated $27,000 on the event by finding sponsors to donate certain items or provide them at deeply discounted prices. The couple spent an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 on the event, which included the honeymoon.

In return for that consideration, Vincelli-Gantner included cards listing sponsors with the invitations, with thank-you notes, on the Web site and at the wedding. Lists of sponsors were at every table and displays were festooned with promotional material from sponsors.

But did those sponsor considerations cheapen the big day?

"Not at all," Vincelli-Gantner replied. "It just made our day better. Guests knew what was going on and were very supportive."

When Vincelli-Gantner learned about the sponsored wedding concept while watching "Oprah," she wasn't even planning to get married. But after Gantner popped the question, the idea crept back into her mind.

The road to sponsorship was an 18-month trek, starting with an engraved cake server and knife and ending with more than 20 sponsorships. Sponsors signed a three-page contract, outlining what they were to provide and how Vincelli-Gantner would promote them in return.

Now a receptionist, Vincelli-Gantner is taking courses to become a certified wedding planner and has written a how-to book about her experience: "The Sponsored Wedding: How to Achieve the Wedding of Your Dreams Without the Cost."

She advises those considering sponsorships to expect to pay some costs.

Figure out what you want, set a budget, and then try to get some of your wish-list items for free. She solicited many potential sponsors by e-mail, which worked well for her.

"It's not for everyone," Vincelli-Gantner said. "It takes dedication and get-up-and-go. You approach people, talk to them and sell yourselves as a couple."

Tamela Scarborough, owner of Southern Bouquets in Winder, provided the flowers for the ceremony and the bridal party, which would have retailed for $1,200.

"I did not get as much [additional business] as I was hoping to but, overall, she did a good job," Scarborough said.

The florist said she'd definitely sponsor another wedding, given the right circumstances. "For the right person with the right press package, then, yeah, we'd do it again," Scarborough said. "It can be a really good thing."